Political Power Abuse in America
Bribery, Graft, Extortion, Patronage, Kickbacks and Other Crimes
Abuse of political power by elected and appointed officials has a long history in the United States. Democrats and Republicans have been indicted, charged and gone to jail. Behind each act was a desire for self-enrichment at the expense of American taxpayers.
Types of Abuse by Politicians
The types of abuses include:
- Bribery requires two participants: one to give the bribe, and one to take it. Bribes may be demanded in order for an official to do something he is already paid to do or to bypass laws and regulations.
- Graft only requires that the official gains something of value, not part of his official pay, when doing his work. Most large “gifts” qualify as graft. For example, any gift over $200 value made to the President of the United States is considered to be a gift to the Office of the Presidency and not to the President himself. The outgoing President must buy it if he wants to take it with him. Another example of graft is a politician using knowledge of zoning to purchase land which he knows is planned for development, before this is publicly known, and then selling it for a significant profit.
- Extortion and Robbery may take place when money is demanded to do something. It can also be demanded by corrupt officials who otherwise threaten to make illegitimate use of state force in order to inflict harm. This is similar to extortion by organized crime groups.
- Patronage refers to favoring supporters, for example, with government employment. It can be seen as corruption if this means that incompetent persons, as a payment for supporting the regime, are selected for loyalty rather than ability.
- Nepotism and Cronyism is favoring relatives (nepotism) or personal friends (cronyism). This may be combined with bribery, for example demanding that a business should employ a relative or an official controlling regulations affecting business.
- Embezzlement is outright theft of entrusted funds. It is a misappropriation of property.
- Kickbacks are an officials share of misappropriate funds allocated from his or her organization to an organization involved in corrupt bidding. An example is that of a politician is in charge of choosing how to spend some public funds. He can give a contract to a company that isn’t the best bidder or allocate more than they deserve. It is related to bid rigging, bidding, and anti-competitive practices.
Politicians Indicted for Abuse of Power
Recent cases that have been investigated and politicians charged include:
- Thomas Dale DeLay, Republican Representative from Texas 22nd District was indicted on criminal conspiracy and money laundering.
- William Jennings Jefferson, Democratic Representative from Louisiana 2nd District, named as an unindicted co-conspirator by prosecutors in connection with the Brent Pfeffer’s guilty plea to bribery charges.
- Randall Cunningham, Republican U.S. Representatives from California 50th District, pleaded guilty on Federal conspiracy and tax evasion charges.
A byproduct of corruption and the abuse of power by elected or appointed officials is a lack of trust by the public. In addition, it also diverts public investments from capital projects where bribes and kickbacks are most plentiful.
Bibliography:
Amick, George. The American Way of Graft. Princeton, N.J.: Center for Analysis of Public Issues, 1976. An examination of institutional corruption at the state and local level.
Einsenstadt, Abraham S., Arj Hoogenboom, and Hans Trefousse, eds. Before Watergate: Problems of Corruption in American Society. Brooklyn, N.Y.: Brooklyn College Press, 1978. Historical essays.
Noonan, John T. Jr. Bribes. New York: Macmillan, 1984. A massive history of corruption from biblical times to the date of publication.
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